James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today.

I would like to start by talking about infrastructure and how Labor are gutting rural, regional and remote Australia. What they're doing is terrible. Labor have got a giant vacuum cleaner over rural, regional and remote Australia and it's sucking all the money out and sending it to Marrickville. That's where the money is going.

I want to talk about some projects in Queensland because we've got some Queensland Labor senators who think they know about regional Queensland. I want to talk about some projects. Let's talk about the dam in Etheridge Shire Council at Forsayth—the Charleston Dam, which I want to be renamed the Noeline Ikin Dam, by the way. Ten million dollars went into this dam through the Building Better Regions Fund. But, according to Labor, this is a rort. That $10 million to build that dam allowed the people of Forsayth and Georgetown to have drinkable water. Until the dam was built, in summer they would get water out of the river which was dry and they would be drinking sludge. That's what Labor want regional, rural and remote Australians to drink—sludge. That is what Labor gives to regional Australians, but we deliver. That dam means there is potable water for the people of the Etheridge Shire Council.

Let's talk about Murweh Shire Council and a little place called Morven, which none of these buggers have ever been to. Morven has a population of about 100. We've put some money into some cattle yards, but they don't care about that because, according to Labor, their food comes from the fridge at Coles or Woollies or IGA or whatever organic fruit shop they happen to be going to that day. But this is so important for that community because two jobs came out of those cattle yards, and that means a pub has been rebuilt in Morven. If you go to Morven now, there is a new pub there. It's so important for the sustainability of a small rural community.

That is what the Building Better Regions Fund has done for Queensland: it is ensuring that those people who live beyond the Great Dividing Range—I declare a conflict of interest; I am one of those people, and so is Senator Davey—it means that those Queenslanders and those Australians can have the quality of life that people in the city take for granted. That's why infrastructure is so important. That's why Jane McNamara , the Mayor of Flinders Shire Council, fought like a tiger or a lion to make sure that she got millions of dollars through the Building Better Regions Fund to build a lake in Hughenden. You might think 'So what?' about a lake in Hughenden. It means that the people who live in Hughenden, which is a remote little township, have a recreational facility where people can go fishing and walk around. They can have a life. One thing COVID has shown us is the benefit of living outside the cities.

That is why this budget is such a let-down for all Australians—because of the abolition of the Building Better Regions Fund and also the partisanship that has come through the politics.

It is really interesting how Labor are happy to give $2.2 billion to Daniel Andrews to help his re-election but they are not prepared to give little grants of money to little regional communities—a little community like Wondai. That mob over there doesn't know where Wondai is. Wondai is a beautiful little community. Wondai got about $50,000 for the art gallery there. That mob over there think that they are the artistes of politics, but it is our side who stand up for regional art galleries. It is our side who understand that Elaine Maddill, who is the doyen of the Wondai Art Gallery, fought like a mother tiger to get $50,000 to rebuild the kitchen for the Wondai Art Gallery. But, according to Labor, that is a rort—that is a terrible thing.

I say to Elaine and to Jane and to the people of the Etheridge Shire Council that this side of politics will always fight for all Australians, but we will particularly fight for rural, regional and remote Australians, because we know that you are doing tough. We know that you are the engine room of the Australian economy, and we know that more money should be spent on your roads, your bridges and you dams. A damning indictment on this government is what they are not doing in relation to Urannah dam. It is a brilliant dam. It has a hydro pump and everything going for it, but that mob over there have taken the money away from it and are going to let this dam sink. That mob over there do not believe dams, because they need preferences from the pixies at the other end of the political spectrum to ensure that they get re-elected each time. Shame on Labor for that—because dams mean money and money means that we can do more for all Australians.

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McGrath, I would like you to withdraw your use of the term 'you buggers'.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If anyone were new to the conversation here, they would think that these 'pillars of virtue' and 'everything good about Australia' had an argument. But, seriously, you mob had nine years. What the heck did you do for nine years? It is fantastic to talk about all these so-called great nation-building projects, but you didn't fund them and you didn't make any effort to build them.

Mr Deputy President, please indulge me, because this has been a wide-ranging question time today, and those over that side really talked some nonsense about infrastructure. I have been tied up in the infrastructure portfolio through Senate estimates for over 17 years.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A long time.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know; I don't know what I did wrong in certain parts of my previous life, but I do remember a lot of stuff. But, seriously, how can we look at that side of the chamber, the opposition, and see any credibility. Let's talk about a certain infrastructure project—and I bet that mob over there doesn't raise it in Senate estimates this time around. Remember Leppington Triangle? Remember that piece of land that was valued at $3 million? And what about the new airport being built in Sydney? I am not pointing figures, but that lot over there have their fingerprints all over it. That land was valued at $3 million and was owned by no less than a well-known LNP donor.

Opposition senators interjecting—

I will take 25 steps out there. I do not need the protection of parliament to make this statement because it is damn true. Do you know what they bought it for? I think Mr Barnaby Joyce was the minister at the time. It was valued at $3 million. Did they pay $3 million or $3.5 million? No. Did they pay $5 million? No. You'll notice that no-one over there is interjecting. Did they pay $6 million or $7 million? No. Do you know what paid? Do you know what they took out of our pockets—out of the pockets of Australians; out of the pockets of all you out there in the gallery; and out of the pockets of all you out there in radio land? They paid $30 million. Do I hear any objections? Where are the big voices on the opposition benches? Not one of them is saying boo. There are some decent people on that side of the chamber.

I am not accusing my good friend Senator Scarr—who has to fire up and take one for the team. Don't lower yourself, Senator Scarr. You know that you are better than that. Do I hear The Nationals? There are couple of Nats on that side of the chamber. They are very decent people. I have worked very closely with a couple of them, and I look forward to working closely with them in Senate estimates for the next few days or week. Do I hear any objection? Do I hear, 'Sterle, you big mouth; you're telling lies'? Fancy that. $30 million. On a more serious note—I know, there's a lot more. Nine years of rorting and waste. You've got to give it to Senator McKenzie, she's got more front than Myer. We remember her situation there when she got dumped as the minister for—what was it, the 'Minister for Colour Coded Sports Rorts' or whiteboards or something like that? Spreadsheets. That's what it was.

Let me share another with you, Mr Deputy President. It is very difficult, on a serious note. It's none of my business who the opposition choose as their leadership team, and thank goodness I don't get a vote in that madhouse. But I do struggle looking on the television each night—I'm sorry, I don't know Ms Ley's seat. If anyone can tell me the seat, I'll refer to her as the member for—

Perin Davey (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Farrer.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Senator Davey. The Minister for Farrer—who was a government minister on a very attractive wage and remuneration. She was sacked from the ministry. It's a well-known fact, very well documented. I think it was eight taxpayer funded trips she had to the Gold Coast.

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Sterle, I have a point of order. Senator Davey?

Perin Davey (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think you'll find that she resigned from the ministry. The shadow minister for industry and member for Farrer resigned for the ministry, at the time. She was not fired.

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's not a debating point, Senator Davey, it's a point of order. Senator Sterle, if you're going to talk about another member of the two chambers, please turn your mind back—

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Deputy President, it's not gossip; it's not hearsay. It's well documented. Let's go with 'the minister resigned' because she used her taxpayers' dollars for eight trips to the Gold Coast to buy a unit on the Gold Coast from, I'm led to believe, if my memory serves me right—let me see; it might have been a friend of her husband's or partner's—an LNP donor.

Seriously, you attack us? You come in here and throw barbs about credibility! Nine years? No wonder the Australian public do not have faith in politicians and the political system. Can you dare even think why I would be wrong? No, because that's the scene that was set on that side. I could go on hour after hour about the rorts, the $650-odd million carpark rorts.

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Sterle.

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Twenty-four hours after the budget, Labor is waving the white flag. They have surrendered on the fight to combat inflation, they have surrendered on their promises to generate wage growth, they have surrendered on providing cost-of-living relief to Australian families and they have surrendered on low unemployment—because the budget papers show 150,000 job losses over the forward estimates. What audacity, for the finance minister to say at question time that the government keeps all of its promises. The promise to keep inflation under control, the promise to keep employment low, the promise to provide cost-of-living relief—gone or disappearing.

Why is it that the Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, can spend much of his commentary before the budget, in his budget speech and following his budget delivery, talking about the need to combat inflation but has not taken one hard decision? He's not taken one hard decision to combat the scourge of inflation that is now bearing down on Australian families. As the weeks and months progress, Australian families are going to have to face the very real economic challenges that no hard decisions have been taken by this government in its first budget—perhaps better characterised as a mini-statement or economic statement—to combat inflation. My colleague, Senator Cadell, from New South Wales—

Ross Cadell (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A great place!

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A great place—I'm sure it is, second only to Western Australia. My colleague, in his question, talked about the National Australia Bank Consumer Sentiment Survey. Let me share with you what the consumer sentiment survey says. It says higher consumer stress associated with the cost of living is now at its highest point since 2018. It says that cost-of-living pressures are resulting in consumers changing the way in which they spend. Sixty-one per cent of consumers surveyed are now switching to cheaper brands or shopping around for cheaper products; 54 per cent of those surveyed said they were cancelling or cutting back on food delivery services; and 47 per cent of survey respondents said they were cutting back on entertainment. But there's more.

The survey says a growing number have also cancelled or cut back other subscriptions like newspapers, magazines and audiobooks. People are now cutting back streaming services and gym, sports and club memberships. That is where the rubber is hitting the road, and Australian families are now having to change their decisions because they are feeling the real impact of inflation. They know they must prepare for the worst because the government has failed to deliver on any real, meaningful measure that will put downward pressure on inflation. And, if there is a meaningful measure that the government can point to that is putting real downward pressure on inflation, then I invite them to nominate it. We've got Labor senators in the chamber now. I invite them to nominate it in their future contributions.

What does this mean for people's hip pocket? The consumer sentiment survey says consumers, on average, estimate—so this is consumers themselves—that they will be paying around $239 in three months time for groceries when they're currently paying $180. The consumer sentiment survey says that for fuel, where they're currently paying $67 a week, that is expected to climb to $102 in three months time. For utilities like gas, electricity and water, consumers estimate they are currently spending around $244 per month, and this is expected to rise by $320.

People deserve a better plan from this Labor government.

Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of questions asked. There was a bit of confusion from my perspective today about what some coalition senators' questions were really about, but I'm going to start with the question from Senator Askew, who was asking about women's reproductive health and assisted reproductive technology. It is true that we had to delay the commencement date of the assisted reproductive technology storage funding commitment. It was delayed to 1 July 2023 because—and this is something that people really need to understand—the measure cannot be delivered by 1 November 2022, which was the date originally announced by the former government. The delay will provide time to consult with the sector and develop the detailed administrative design of the measure.

With nine years of incompetence from the former government, I'm in a bit of a pickle about what I really want to talk about here today. Electricity prices also were brought up today, but I did speak about them yesterday or the day before. We've got these issues where the opposition come in and act as though they have no responsibility for anything that happened in the past nine years. I know they were a pretty lazy government and I know they were really good at announcements. They like power—I'm not talking about the electricity type of power; they like power for power's sake. But, when it came to electricity, to renewables and to things like climate change, they were just all over the place. In the past nine years, they had 22 different policies on power, but they didn't implement them. I think they had nine ministers—if I'm correct.

There was no strategy and no real approach to anything, except to make great big promises to people. They promised the world to everyone. They were spending money like they were drunken sailors. Seriously! Now we have to come in and clean up the mess. You don't have to be Einstein to work out that, if I were to promise my granddaughter a $700,000 present and I didn't have $700,000, someone would have to help me clean up that mess. That's what we're doing. We are cleaning up the mess of the previous government.

With regard to the health issue, jumping back to Senator Askew's question, the previous government neglected our healthcare system for the last nine years. They absolutely neglected it. You provided funding for cancer patients to access Medicare subsidised reproductive services, but you were all talk about it; there was no delivery. That is typical of those on the other side. I know they haven't taken well to being in opposition. We understand that. They act like kindergarten children throughout question time because they cannot come to grips with the fact that they are no longer the government. I'm not sure how long it's going to take them to move on from denial, but it's taking a bit long in my books. They need to grow up a bit. They need to treat this parliament, this chamber and, in fact, the President with some respect, and they need to start taking responsibility. They say, 'Oh, the Labor Party's done this,' and, 'The government's done that.' You had nine years; you did nothing.

I think back to when Mr Abbott was campaigning for one of the elections—I can't quite remember which election it was. He said, 'No cuts to education; no cuts to health.' And then he came in and razor-ganged the health area, as well as the education sector and others. 'No cuts to pensions,' he said. He just came in, took no account of what he had promised and made the health area so much worse.

Ross Cadell (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of the answers to the coalition's questions during question time today, in particular relating to electricity pricing and infrastructure. In April next year, the turbines at AGL's Liddell station in the Hunter Valley will spin for the last time, and with it 1.2 gigawatts will come off the market. In 2025, the Eraring station will also close, taking another three gigawatts of power off the grid. This is more than four gigawatts of energy, or 20 per cent of the electricity in New South Wales, coming out in this term of parliament. These losses to the market will occur after an already predicted 56 per cent electricity price rise, according to the budget. How high will electricity prices go after that? Who knows? It is clear that energy prices, just like petrol prices, interest rates and household bills, have no clear limit under Labor. When the campaign ad said it wouldn't be easy under this Prime Minister, maybe it should have said, 'It's just going to be bloody tough.' Under Labor, everything is going to go up except your wages.

Senator David Pocock spoke in this place earlier about people in the gallery who had chosen between heating and housing, and he asked Minister Farrell what he would say to them. That minister said he would say hello and give them a wave. As useless as that advice was, it was perhaps a sign of what was to come in this budget: no care, no support and not even a realisation of the burden that families are feeling across Australia What did they get? They got the scrapping of Labor's promise to lower electricity prices by $275 that was repeated 97 times during the election, the ending of the petrol excise rebate and, now, confirmation in the budget papers of massive rises in electricity prices over the coming years.

Labor wasn't content with knocking a hole in the budget of the country; they were lining up mums and dads—our seniors—and putting a hole in their budgets. In fact, to follow the lead of Minister Farrell, I might give my own gratuitous advice to those in the gallery: 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. You are more likely to win the lotto with those numbers on Saturday than you are to get a proper answer from this government about the steps they will take to lower electricity prices.

Minister Gallagher stated that renewables are the cheapest form of electricity. But the more renewables enter the market, the more expensive our electricity becomes. I was working on an energy project in the Hunter to build grey hydrogen. Grey hydrogen made in an electrolyser would cost me $2.90 per kilo. Green hydrogen is $9.40 per kilo. How is that cheaper? Reviewing the budget papers, I read that the price of thermal coal is now expected to drop by $438 a tonne, to $60 a tonne. If this is the case, how are prices meant to rise by 50 per cent over that same time? To quote the Muppets from Sesame Street:

One of these things is not like the others,

One of these things just doesn't belong …

We then move to infrastructure. This quote is from the Prime Minister:

Labor will make sure that those investments really stack up using the Infrastructure Australia model that I established.

That was in his budget reply speech in March this year. But just like the broken promise of $275 off bills, it seems Labor and the Prime Minister have broken another promise. We learned that, in the budget, those opposite are funding a suburban rail loop for the Andrews Labor government. It is a flagship commitment of the Andrews government. The Auditor-General's report into the business case concluded that this project was not sufficient, nor were businesses cases provided in a timely manner on four of the projects it reviewed.

I go to three of the notes in the Auditor's report:

But they:

If we were guilty of pork-barrelling, this is a bacon box beyond belief. This is nothing more than buying votes for an unpopular premier who locked people down, and more of the rail loop money should be spent on letting people get out of Victoria so they can live their lives.

Question agreed to.